Maidstone West railway station
0.496 | usage1213 = 0.834 | usage1314 = 0.832 | usage1415 = 0.843 | usage1516 = 0.830 | lowint1112 = 38,465 | lowint1213 = 42,404 | lowint1314 = 39,242 | lowint1415 = 68,847 | lowint1516 = 64,579 | platforms = 2 | years = 25 September 1844 | events = Opened (Terminus) | years1 = 18 June 1856 | events1 = Through station opened | gridref = TQ755553 | dft_category = E }} Maidstone West railway station is one of three railway stations which serve the town centre of Maidstone, the county town of Kent, England. It lies approximately halfway along the Medway Valley Line from Paddock Wood; from Strood) and train services are provided by Southeastern. History Due largely to opposition from the town's merchants, and the fear expressed by the then Mayor that "Maidstone will be ruined as a commercial town",J M Russell:The History of Maidstone published by John Hallewell Publications, 1978 (reprint of 1st Ed. 1881) the town was bypassed when the South Eastern Main Line opened by the South Eastern Railway (SER) in 1842. The line ran approximately eight miles to the south, with the nearest station being at Maidstone Road (later renamed Paddock Wood). On 25 September 1844, a branch line was opened from Paddock Wood to Maidstone West. This was extended further up the Medway Valley to the North Kent Line at Strood on 18 June 1856. The main station building is believed to date from this time.Body, Geoffrey. PSL Field Guide – Railways of the Southern Region (1984), page 128. Patrick Stephens Ltd, Cambridge. ISBN 0-85059-664-5 Maidstone West has a signal box — located at the southern end of the station — which is used as the point at which the mileage measurements and the "Up" and "Down" directions to London change.Marsden, Colin J. Route Recognition: 1 — Southern Region (1985), pages 124-125. Ian Allan Ltd, Shepperton. ISBN 0-7110-1553-8 South of the signal box, the distance from London is measured via Paddock Wood, and the Up (towards London) direction is southbound. From the signal box northwards, however, mileages are measured via Strood and the northbound line is the Up direction.Body, page 128. On 3 August 1944, the signal box was severely damaged when a doodlebug landed nearby. Seven people were killed, as well as two dray horses belonging to Maidstone brewers Fremlins. The signalbox was repaired and returned to service. Just south of Maidstone West was a station at Tovil ( ). Passenger services ceased on 15 March 1943. A short line ran on a bridge across the River Medway to a goods station at Tovil Goods ( ) until 3 October 1977, from which point the branch line closed completely.Body, page 128 Services The typical off-peak service from the station is one train per hour to Paddock Wood and , and two trains an hour to Strood. Connections to London are available from any of these three stations. Four trains each way per day using [[British Rail Class 395|Class 395 Javelin]] units operate between Maidstone West and via and . }} }} }} See also *Maidstone East railway station *Maidstone Barracks railway station Gallery Image:Maidstone West Station 01.JPG|The main station building Image:Maidstone West Station 02.JPG|Trains are timed to pass each other at Maidstone West Image:Maidstone West Station 03.JPG|Class 466 EMU 466009 on a Strood service Image:Maidstone West Station 05.JPG|Commemorative plaque in the ticket office References External links Category:Maidstone (borough) Category:Railway stations in Kent Category:Former South Eastern Railway (UK) stations Category:Railway stations opened in 1844 Category:Railway stations served by Southeastern